Eat Green: Chlorophyll

When Brad and I signed up for a Nature's Sunshine discount card, we received a couple free gifts.  One was Nature's Sunshine Liquid Chlorophyll.  Now, I had only heard of chlorophyll before in my science classes.  Chlorophyll is the molecule in plants which makes them green.  It is also responsible for the process of photosynthesis, using the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into sugar (for the plant) and oxygen (for us).  That was the extent of my knowledge on photosynthesis.  I had no idea why I would want to intentionally consume it.  The bottle of liquid chlorophyll sat around unopened for a while until I noticed them mentioning the benefits of chlorophyll in the Hungry For Change documentary.  In fact, they included it as #2 in the Hungry for Change 10 Step Action Plan.  I, of course, had always heard that you should "eat your greens," and now I know that chlorophyll is the reason why.

The Nature's Sunshine brand in particular isn't refined, highly processed, or sweetened.

So why should we make sure we get lots of greens?
-the Hungry for Change crew promoted chlorophyll for its cleansing and detoxifying action in our bodies
-is an antioxidant
-fights infections and promotes healing
-increases the quantity and quality of red blood cells (its molecular structure is identical to hemoglobin)
-binds to and removes toxic heavy metals (such as mercury from dental fillings, etc) in the body
-prevents cancer by protecting healthy cells from carcinogens
-treats bad breath by deodorizing the mouth and throat

How do we make sure we get lots of chlorophyll?
 -eat it in natural food sources: spinach, romaine lettuce, kale, broccoli, green peppers, peas, brussel sprouts, green olives, sea vegetables, algae, anything green
-drink it: liquid chlorophyll is a concentrated option that can be added to water, juice, or smoothies, and it is nearly tasteless, or juice your own green veggies

How do you eat (or drink) green?